Kara Swisher - Fox's Fake News Contagion

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/opinion/coronavirus-fox-news.html

The network spent too long spraying its viewers with false information about the coronavirus pandemic.

By Kara Swisher
Ms. Swisher covers technology and is a contributing opinion writer.

March 31, 2020

<snip>

And, more to the point, when all is said and done, my Mom will listen to her children over Fox News. One of us — my brother — is an actual doctor and knows what he is talking about. And the other is a persistent annoyance — that would be me.

I’m a huge pest, in fact. “I’m going to block your number, if you don’t stop,” my mother said to me over the phone several weeks ago from Florida, after I had texted her the umpteenth chart about the spread of coronavirus across the country. All of these graphs had scary lines that went up and to the right. And all of them flashed big honking red lights: Go home and stay there until all clear.

She ignored my texts, so I had switched to calling her to make sure she had accurate information in those critical weeks at the end of February and the beginning of March. She is in the over-80 group that is most at risk of dying from infection. I worry a lot.

But she was not concerned — and it was clear why. Her primary source of news is Fox. In those days she was telling me that the Covid-19 threat was overblown by the mainstream news media (note, her daughter is in the media). She told me that it wasn’t going to be that big a deal. She told me that it was just like the flu.

And, she added, it was more likely that the Democrats were using the virus to score political points. And, did I know, by the way, that Joe Biden was addled?

</snip>

I hope Faux's actions contribute to the their demise.

[dewsgirl]

1. K and R😔

[subana]

2. it must be really frustrating to have a close relative who doesn't think rationally anymore!

There is a good movie I saw called The Brainwashing of My Dad. A woman tells about her father who had always been a reasonable man & sometimes agreed with liberals on some issues. But now she realizes that all of his political conversation sounds like talking points from Fox. She & her mom tried to talk him out of those positions but he wouldn't change his opinion. Then one time when he was in the hospital for a week or so, she unsubscribed him from the right wing emails he received & she figured out a way to block Fox news on the TV. After a few weeks, he became the normal, rational man he used to be!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brainwashing_of_My_Dad

[DanieRains]

4. It Was Hate Radio

Not just Fox. He listened to Rush on his way to work when he began having a 45 min commute.

[subana]

5. probably

it's been awhile since I've seen it. But it was instructive how he stopped believing all of that crap when he wasn't exposed to it constantly!

[oldsoftie]

9. But we still have a BRAIN. I listened to Limbaugh 3 days a week for 20 yrs. Meh.

Didnt make me a raving right winger. Of course, i didnt GLUE myself to the radio either. My biggest customer had his radio on in his business and i was there pretty much every week 3 days a week. So i heard Rush a dozen hours a week. So what. Once in awhile i'd point out a blatant falsehood, but usually i'd keep my mouth shut.

Radio/fox listeners are just like the virus deniers; its not that they dont understand the difference from regular flu or whats true, they dont WANT to understand the difference or whats true. They look for validation of what they already believe.

[DanieRains]

3. Fox Kills

Just say it.

[Canoe52]

6. That could be my mom, over 80, Florida, going about business as usual. Faux news is going to get a

a lot of people killed this time, that isn’t free speech. They are doing exactly the same with global warming. This is about our parents lives, our lives, our kids lives. What they are doing is criminal and is morally wrong.

[barbtries]

7. I work with a man

who is brainwashed by fox and a trump cultist. he is a scientist. he's told me all that her mother said. all of it. there will be more suicides and domestic violence deaths than by coronavirus, this is just the flu, China must pay for what they did by not telling the world sooner (but never trump must pay for months of silence and then another month or two of bullshit).

i hope some day they do a study of the brains of fox watchers to find out what happened in there.

[johnthewoodworker]

8. My mother, age 86, full on democrat, is outraged that my aunt, age 81, watches Fox.

But she keeps it cordial with minor rebukes.

[Roland99]

10. Just finished reading this and was about to post...saw this thread. BIG K&R!

She read up. She looked at my charts. She stopped thinking so magically. And, most of all, she decided she wanted a lot more ice cream sundaes.

“Are they crazy? That’s crazy,” she said. “I am not dying for anyone.”

She was talking to me, for sure — but she’s also talking to you, Sean.

[Roland99]

11. This seems fitting here...

Link to tweet

[crickets]

12. FOX Kills. K&R for the post and the discussion.

[Skittles]

13. "magical thinking and wishful ignorance"

that pretty much describes Fox "New"

[subana]

14. Stephanie Ruhle just interviewed Kara Swisher regarding her article about her mom

Kara said it took a long time to get her mom to listen to her but now she does seem to be listening a little better than before.

Stephanie played a clip of Hannity making more sensible statements (I think it was from last night's show). Then she played a clip of Devin Nunes saying that closing schools is going too far. Kara said she thinks Nunes is a danger to the country (I forget the exact words she used) & then she added that fortunately her mom doesn't like Nunes anyway!

It was a short interview but a good one.